Appendix C: Glossary
Appendix C: Glossary
The Glossary defines the terms used in this User Manual
Term
Definition
Ethernet
Local Area Network technology, originally developed by Xerox
Corporation, can link up to 1,024 nodes in a bus network. Ethernet
provides raw data transfer in a rate of 10 megabits/sec. with actual
throughputs in 2 to 3 megabits/sec. using a baseband
(single-channel) communication technique. Ethernet uses carrier
sense multiple access collision detection (CSMA/CD) that prevents
network failures when two devices attempt to access the network at
the same time. LAN hardware manufacturers use Ethernet protocol;
their products may not be compatible.
Gateway
A computer that attaches to a number of networks and routes packets
between them. The packets can be different protocols at the higher
levels.
IP
Internet Protocol – The TCP/IP standard protocol defines the IP
datagram as the unit of information passed across a network.
IP Address
Internet Protocol Address – A 32-bit address assigned to hosts
participating in a TCP/IP network. The IP address consists of
network and host portions. It is assigned to an interconnection of a
host to a physical network.
MAC
Medium Access Control - The network layer between the physical and
the data link layers. Specifically, the physical (hardware) address
exists in this layer.
MIB
Management Information Base – The database, i.e. set of variables
maintained by a gateway running SNMP
NMS
Network Management Station
OID
Object Identifier – The variables defined in a MIB
Router
A computer that manages traffic between different network segments
or different network topologies. It directs the destination IP address.
The network media can be different, but the higher-level protocols
must be the same.
SNMP
Simple Network Management Protocol – A standard protocol used to
monitor IP hosts, networks, and gateways. SNMP defines a set of
simple operations that can be performed on the OIDs of the MIBs
managed by the monitored Agents. It employs the UDP/IP transport
layer to move its object between the Agents and the NMS
TCP/IP
Transmission Control Protocol/ Internet Protocol – A protocol suite
used by more than 15 million users with a UNIX association and
widely used to link computers of different kinds.
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